Question

sententious adjective Nowadays, "sententious" is usually uncomplimentary, implying banality, oversimplification, and excessive moralizing. But that hasn't always been the case, nor is it universally so even now. The original Middle English sense of "sententious" was "full of meaning," a meaning adopted from Latin "sententiosus" (from "sententia," meaning "sentence" or "maxim"). In Modern English, too, "sententious" has sometimes referred to what is full of significance and expressed tersely. Or sometimes "sententious" simply suggests an affinity for aphorisms, as when it refers to the likes of Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard (of almanac fame), the homespun philosopher given to such statements as "early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." 1 : given to or abounding in aphoristic expression or excessive moralizing2 : terse, aphoristic, or moralistic in expression

Accepted Answer

April 25, 2009 sen-TEN-shus The paper that Jed handed in to his teacher was not so much a research paper as a sententious manifesto denouncing globalization.

Word	sententious
Date	April 25, 2009
Type	adjective
Syllables	sen-TEN-shus
Etymology	Nowadays, "sententious" is usually uncomplimentary, implying banality, oversimplification, and excessive moralizing. But that hasn't always been the case, nor is it universally so even now. The original Middle English sense of "sententious" was "full of meaning," a meaning adopted from Latin "sententiosus" (from "sententia," meaning "sentence" or "maxim"). In Modern English, too, "sententious" has sometimes referred to what is full of significance and expressed tersely. Or sometimes "sententious" simply suggests an affinity for aphorisms, as when it refers to the likes of Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard (of almanac fame), the homespun philosopher given to such statements as "early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
Examples	The paper that Jed handed in to his teacher was not so much a research paper as a sententious manifesto denouncing globalization.
Definition	1 : given to or abounding in aphoristic expression or excessive moralizing 2 : terse, aphoristic, or moralistic in expression

Sententious Excessive Meaning Paper Expression April Adjective Sen Ten Shus